Game Design Tutorials

Description
Need ideas for a game? Trying to find the fun in a game idea? Need to get creative? For all ways to feed your brain on better design for your games (which can differ depending on genre), check out here to start. (Not to be mistaken for graphic design, which we have tutorials for on the wiki page for Graphics Tutorials .)

Big Lists
Pixel Prospector has a big list of game design resources doing a lot of the work for us!
 * http://www.pixelprospector.com/the-big-list-of-game-design/

Prototyping
Rapid prototyping can be a way to get into making lots of innovative ideas in short periods of time. Code doesn't have to be pretty or efficient, but getting the idea down as fast as possible can tell you whether or not you're onto something worth working on or should scrap right away.

 The guys behind the Experimental Gameplay Project have this advice on making a prototype in 7 days.

Why Prototyping is so important in game development
 * http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2438/how_to_prototype_a_game_in_under_7_.php


 * http://intermediaware.com/blog/why-prototyping-is-so-important-in-game-development

Getting Creative
Sometimes creativity needs a booster from ways of getting yourself to generate ideas. One technique for doing so is called "Mind Mapping," in which you brainstorm on a visual map of your thoughts. Check it out:


 * http://www.thegraphicdesignschool.com/blog/graphic-design/idea-generation-techniques-mind-mapping-for-graphic-design/

Psychology
At the heart of level ups, loot drops, and reward schedules is operant conditioning. Why do you enjoy getting a rare drop only once in a while or why do you like clicking over and over again in your social games? They design them to be addictive. In this piece in The Atlantic, the author goes into the psychology of operant conditiong and Skinner boxes: Quests are fun to complete aren't they? Guess what? That's psychology at work. By managing quests, you're managing intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, which can be beneficial and detrimental for the player depending on how you use them. Klei Entertainment goes into the design of their game: Don't Starve:
 * http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/the-zynga-abyss/251920/
 * http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/intrinsic-vs.-extrinsic-rewards-in-kleis-latest-game-dont-starve

Videos
Extra Credits is an online video series about game design and their motto is "Because Games Matter." They discuss not just craft and technique but also ethics and politics of game design. The entire series is viewable for free from Penny Arcade TV: This episode of Extra Credits is about playing games while thinking like a designer: Pixel Prospector has a list of video game documentaries to sink your teeth into. Learn about your favorite games and how they were made and it might give you ideas on how to make your own hit! The GDC Vault is a collection of the many talks that were presented at the Game Developers' Conference, the largest conference dedicated to the development side of video games. You can learn so much about games of all shapes and sizes.
 * http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/show/extra-credits
 * http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/playing-like-a-designer-pt.-1
 * http://www.pixelprospector.com/the-big-list-of-video-game-documentaries/
 * http://www.gdcvault.com/

Platformer Level Design
Anna Anthropy's level design lesson on how the level design of Super Mario Bros. teaches you how to play the game: Significant Bits' analysis on the level design of Super Mario Bros. 3 and how it introduces mechanics Diorgo Jonkers tutorial on how to make a platformer level:
 * http://www.auntiepixelante.com/?p=465
 * http://www.significant-bits.com/super-mario-bros-3-level-design-lessons
 * http://devmag.org.za/2011/07/04/how-to-design-levels-for-a-platformer/

An introduction to what puzzles are, their history and links to 5 interviews with puzzle game designers
Dave Hall on the puzzle design of Q.U.B.E
 * http://devmag.org.za/2011/04/16/how-are-puzzle-games-designed-introduction/

Rob Jagnow on the puzzle design of Cogs Ted Lauterbach on the puzzle design of suteF, an eerie and challenging puzzle platformer Teddy Lee on his Flash puzzle platformer game, My First Quantum Translocator Guy Lima on his sliding block/maze hybrid puzzle platformer game, Continuity
 * http://devmag.org.za/2011/05/16/how-are-puzzle-games-designed-dave-hall/
 * http://devmag.org.za/2011/04/26/how-are-puzzle-games-designed-rob-jagnow/
 * http://devmag.org.za/2011/05/09/how-are-puzzle-games-designed-ted-lauterbach/
 * http://devmag.org.za/2011/05/23/how-are-puzzle-games-designed-teddy-lee/


 * http://devmag.org.za/2011/05/02/how-are-puzzle-games-designed-guy-lima/